-LRB- EW.com -RRB- -- Tom Cruise rang in the New Year smiling , as `` Mission : Impossible -- Ghost Protocol '' led the box office with an estimated $ 31.3 million over the three-day -LRB- Friday to Sunday -RRB- weekend . That represents a 6 percent jump from Christmas weekend .

However , nearly every wide release saw their grosses rise compared to last weekend . The weekend after Christmas has historically been a strong box-office period , as many families are still on break but are no longer occupied with holiday preparations .

`` Ghost Protocol , '' the fourth entry in the action franchise , has now cumulatively tallied $ 134.1 million , surpassing the final gross of `` Mission : Impossible III '' -LRB- $ 134 million -RRB- . The PG-13 movie , which was helmed by Pixar animation director Brad Bird , will now attempt to catch up with the first `` Mission : Impossible , '' which collected $ 181 million in 1996 . That figure should be within reach for `` Ghost Protocol . ''

In second place was `` Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows , '' which rose 9 percent for $ 22.1 million . The sequel has taken in $ 132.1 million in 17 days . The original `` Sherlock Holmes , '' by comparison , had earned $ 165.2 million by this point . Although `` A Game of Shadows '' trails its predecessor , it is slowly closing the gap . This is because the first `` Sherlock Holmes '' opened on Christmas weekend , thereby inflating its initial figures . `` Shadows , '' on the other hand , debuted on the -LRB- typically slow -RRB- weekend before Christmas , and is just now benefiting from a post-Christmas bump .

In other words , the first `` Sherlock Holmes '' started out of the gate much quicker , but `` Shadows '' is picking up steam . The sequel probably wo n't have enough momentum to reach its predecessor 's final tally of $ 209 million , but the gap between the two films should be a lot smaller than many people initially thought .

The same holds true for `` Alvin and the Chipmunks : Chipwrecked , '' which jumped an incredible 45 percent for $ 18.3 million . The rodent threequel has so far earned $ 94.6 million in 17 days . In the same time frame , the 2007 original had grossed $ 141.4 million and its 2009 sequel had amassed $ 165.4 million . Despite `` Chipwrecked 's '' slow start , it has been holding up well and should finish its domestic run with a respectable number .

In its first full weekend , Steven Spielberg 's equine epic `` War Horse '' finished fourth with $ 16.9 million . Whereas most films dropped from Friday to Saturday this weekend -LRB- on account of Saturday being New Year 's Eve -RRB- , `` War Horse '' actually jumped 20 percent on Saturday . One possible explanation could be that the movie is drawing a decidedly older audience that was n't about to let New Year 's Eve get in the way of its moviegoing plans . According to CinemaScore , 79 percent of `` War Horse 's '' audience was at least 25 years old . The Oscar hopeful has so far collected $ 43 million and is on its way to becoming a genuine holiday hit .

Finally , in fifth , was David Fincher 's `` The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , '' which rose 28 percent for $ 16.3 million . The $ 90 million adaptation of Stieg Larsson 's bestselling novel has so far grossed a decent but somewhat disappointing $ 57.1 million in 12 days .

In limited release , `` The Iron Lady , '' starring Meryl Streep as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , debuted to an outstanding $ 221,800 at four theaters -- that 's a per-location average of $ 55,450 . The acclaimed Iranian drama `` A Separation , '' which is practically assured an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film , opened to a solid $ 66,600 in three theaters . And the Sundance drama `` Pariah '' started its run with a merely okay $ 49,700 at four locations .

1 . Mission : Impossible -- Ghost Protocol -- $ 31.3 mil

2 . Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows -- $ 22.1 mil

3 . Alvin and the Chipmunks : Chipwrecked -- $ 18.3 mil

4 . War Horse -- $ 16.9 mil

5 . The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo -- $ 16.3 mil

See the full article at EW.com .

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`` Mission : Impossible -- Ghost Protocol '' has now cumulatively tallied $ 134.1 million

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`` Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows , '' rose 9 percent for $ 22.1 million

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`` Alvin and the Chipmunks : Chipwrecked , '' jumped an incredible 45 percent for $ 18.3 million